NEW MEMBER primer
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Welcome to Cambridge Common Voices! Here you can learn all about our mission, values, and member expectations.
If you haven't already done so, please register for CCV by clicking the button to the right. This will enroll you in our member email list. quick facts:
values:CCV sees disability not as a deficit, but as a fact of human diversity worthy of creative exploration and appreciation. Drawing upon the individual and collective funds of knowledge within its community, CCV aspires to frame disability as a resource of artistic ingenuity that holds the potential to broaden the concepts of choral music and revolutionize artistic praxis in conventional settings. Soon after its founding in 2018, members of CCV put forth the following values that guide our work:
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leadershipDr. Andy Clark, Director
Will Houchin , associate music director
Dr. James Gutierrez, managing DIRECTOR
elena snow, Director of Education & Vocal Studies
WILLIE JONES, PIANO ACCOMPANIST
ADRIAN ANANTAWAN, INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLE
White House, the United Nations, and the opening ceremonies of the Athens and Vancouver Olympic Games, and performing for Pope John Paul II, the Dalai Lama, and the late Christopher Reeve. He holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, Yale University, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and has studied with Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, and Anne-Sophie Mutter. mission:Cambridge Common Voices (CCV) is a non-profit community chorus established in partnership between Harvard College and the Threshold Program at Lesley University, a transition program for young adults with diverse learning challenges. CCV strives to create an inclusive musical space and practice, affirming individual voices and exploring innovative approaches to music- making. We do this through (1) providing sequential, inclusive music instruction; (2) intentionally cultivating a neurodiverse community; (3) stimulating artistic and pedagogical ingenuity; and (4) combating ableism in music education and practice.
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Image of a word cloud showing CCV's values as described by CCV members
CCV expectations:
1. Show up
Auditions are not required to join CCV. The ensemble meets on Tuesdays from 5:00p - 6:30p, at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA [link to map]. The space is accessible and near the Harvard Square T station. Please do not expect to enter the space before 5:00p, as there can be classes or rehearsals taking place.
2. Be present
We work hard and set high expectations for ourselves and the group. Music making requires concentrated thought and deep listening. We aim to minimize distractions to focus on our music and each other. Please be try and use your phones and other devices only as necessary. All members are expected to respect the physical space (facilities, instruments), as well as our shared community space.
3. Ask for help
At CCV, we believe that seeking and offering help is a strength. We value both interdependence and independence—we learn not only from our instructors but from one another. Our ensemble regularly draws on peer-assisted learning, leveraging each singer's unique strengths to support the group.
CCV staff are available to provide basic support during rehearsals and performances. For members who need additional assistance beyond what we can offer during these times, we encourage you to arrange a support person to attend rehearsals regularly. Please indicate this arrangement in the Registration Form (linked above). Please note: CCV's support and supervision are limited to official rehearsals and performances.
4. Don’t be tied to the outcome
Though we strive for excellence, as we choose to define it, we also believe that perfectionism is a thought distortion. Too often, in choral music, the acquisition of technique and cultural capital – for its own sake -- has often held sway over the quest for personal meaning, connection, and impact. We engage in process-oriented work while we also love to perform and share our music and message with others.
Auditions are not required to join CCV. The ensemble meets on Tuesdays from 5:00p - 6:30p, at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA [link to map]. The space is accessible and near the Harvard Square T station. Please do not expect to enter the space before 5:00p, as there can be classes or rehearsals taking place.
2. Be present
We work hard and set high expectations for ourselves and the group. Music making requires concentrated thought and deep listening. We aim to minimize distractions to focus on our music and each other. Please be try and use your phones and other devices only as necessary. All members are expected to respect the physical space (facilities, instruments), as well as our shared community space.
3. Ask for help
At CCV, we believe that seeking and offering help is a strength. We value both interdependence and independence—we learn not only from our instructors but from one another. Our ensemble regularly draws on peer-assisted learning, leveraging each singer's unique strengths to support the group.
CCV staff are available to provide basic support during rehearsals and performances. For members who need additional assistance beyond what we can offer during these times, we encourage you to arrange a support person to attend rehearsals regularly. Please indicate this arrangement in the Registration Form (linked above). Please note: CCV's support and supervision are limited to official rehearsals and performances.
4. Don’t be tied to the outcome
Though we strive for excellence, as we choose to define it, we also believe that perfectionism is a thought distortion. Too often, in choral music, the acquisition of technique and cultural capital – for its own sake -- has often held sway over the quest for personal meaning, connection, and impact. We engage in process-oriented work while we also love to perform and share our music and message with others.
members
Members of CCV include Harvard College students of varying musical backgrounds, current and alumni members of the Threshold Program at Lesley University and the Perkins School for the Blind, participants from Berklee’s Accessible Arts Education programs, and other individuals from the local community. All are welcome.
How do I fit in?
CCV cultivates a music-making and community-building space of intentional difference. We are a diverse group of equal partners who identify as disabled, neurodivergent, non-disabled or temporarily-abled, neurotypical, or none of the above. CCV is not a service project or hierarchical mentoring program. We believe that ally is a verb and we seek to share a deep mutual care and respect for one another. All members participate for artistic, educational, and social purposes. We are also not a creative arts therapy or medical intervention. Though we often find our work to be therapeutic and draw upon empowering elements of music therapy, our work does not intend to address or remediate any impairment or diagnosis. CCV strives for high standards while rejecting musical snobbery. We are not a respite activity or a place to simply pass the time.
How do I fit in?
CCV cultivates a music-making and community-building space of intentional difference. We are a diverse group of equal partners who identify as disabled, neurodivergent, non-disabled or temporarily-abled, neurotypical, or none of the above. CCV is not a service project or hierarchical mentoring program. We believe that ally is a verb and we seek to share a deep mutual care and respect for one another. All members participate for artistic, educational, and social purposes. We are also not a creative arts therapy or medical intervention. Though we often find our work to be therapeutic and draw upon empowering elements of music therapy, our work does not intend to address or remediate any impairment or diagnosis. CCV strives for high standards while rejecting musical snobbery. We are not a respite activity or a place to simply pass the time.
History & partners
CCV was founded in 2018 as a collaboration between the Threshold Program at Lesley University and the Harvard Choruses. Harvard students enrolled in Music 176 (Music & Disability) helped develop CCV, drawing upon model organizations such the Joyful Noise Choir in New Jersey, SNAP Arts Chorus in Lexington, MA, My Own Voice Chorus in Andover, MA, and the Inner Harmony Chorus in Boston, MA, among others.
Our community partners include Harvard’s Office for the Arts and Mindich Program for Engaged Scholarship, the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education, the Woodlands Foundation Notes from the Heart program, and the Perkins School for the Blind. Membership in Cambridge Common Voices is free of charge; our program has been generously underwritten by the Walter and Kate Fromm Fund for Choral Music at Harvard University. In 2026, CCV began the process of becoming a 501c3 non-profit organization.
Our community partners include Harvard’s Office for the Arts and Mindich Program for Engaged Scholarship, the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education, the Woodlands Foundation Notes from the Heart program, and the Perkins School for the Blind. Membership in Cambridge Common Voices is free of charge; our program has been generously underwritten by the Walter and Kate Fromm Fund for Choral Music at Harvard University. In 2026, CCV began the process of becoming a 501c3 non-profit organization.
